Cornelis van Haarlem

The love affair of Mars and Venus is recounted by Homer in the Odyssey and by Ovid in the Metamorphoses. Venus, the wife of Vulcan, falls in love with Mars, the god of war. The moment of their tryst is depicted here with great pictorial flair. Maidservants prepare the goddess of love for her amorous adventure. Mars, too, is assisted out of his garment, his weapons already cast aside at his feet. No longer the ferocious warrior, Mars is subdued by the power of love. The artist includes the charming device of two putti at right holding the godâ€™s shield and halberd. This painted story was enjoyed as much for its learned, literary references as for its erotic content.